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Huge comeback
wasted Shootout costs SJ another win 2/13/09 - By Mike Lee
Mourning the 50 people who
perished in a horrific plane crash 24 hours earlier, the city of Buffalo was
able to move on a bit Friday night. The Sabres provided the perfect temporary
distraction, in a riveting 6-5 shootout win over the Sharks at the HSBC Center.
The Sharks went on their own emotional roller coaster ride in the
confines of the rink. After falling behind 3-0, San Jose stormed back to take a
5-4 lead. Former Sharks defenseman Craig Rivet helped tie the game with 3.9
seconds left in regulation, before the Sabres outdueled San Jose in the
shootout.
When the Sharks acquired both Rob Blake and Dan Boyle last
Summer, the Sharks were forced to move payroll, and Rivet found himself on the
short end of the stick. Rivet would eventually land in Buffalo where he would
assume the Sabres captaincy. The defenseman exacted his revenge with a dramatic
shot from the blueline that Jason Pominville deflected to beat Sharks
goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, denying the Sharks a regulation win.
Rivets goal was made even more dramatic by the way the game played out
earlier in regulation. Adam Mair scored 6:40 into the game on a deflection off
a shot from Rivet.
A Rob Blake holding penalty put the Sabres on the
power play, and Jaroslav Spacek converted a minute later. Spacek uncorked a
shot from the blueline that Nabokov partially stopped, but the puck trickled
through his pads and across the goal line.
Buffalo went back on the
power play at 12:28 on a Joe Pavelski hooking infraction. Derek Roy would score
his 20th goal of the season on the man advantage, after Joe Thornton turned the
puck over at center ice. Roy took a Drew Stafford feed up the right wing then
roofed a shot over Nabokovs right shoulder.
Patrick Marleau
would cut Buffalo s lead to 3-1 with a power play goal of his own at
18:17. Marleau whipped a shot on goal from the top of the left circle that
slipped between Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller and the left post.
Blake
helped the Sabres to another power play goal, by taking a tripping penalty at
8:23 of the 2nd period. Ales Kotalik Cranked a shot from the left point after
Matt Ellis won the draw and Rivet slid the puck over to Kotalik along the left
win boards. Nabokov had a clear line of sight, but failed to get over to cover
the left side of the net.
Marleau made it 4-2 Buffalo a minute later
after putting a Joe Thornton feed past Miller from the slot. Thornton swatted
at the puck from the end-line after it caromed off the end boards, pushing it
to Marleau who sat parked unattended in front of the Sabres goal.
San
Jose finally stopped a Buffalo power play, midway through the period. Mike
Grier almost made it a bountiful penalty when he found himself with the puck
and nothing but ice between himself and Miller. His short-handed breakaway
chance would only turn out to be a preview of the Sharks fruitless performance
in the shootout.
Dan Boyle would make up for Griers failure with
what may be the highlight reel goal of the season for San Jose with a minute
left in the period. Boyle took a feed from Thornton at his own blueline, then
raced up the center of the ice. The Sharks defenseman was forced to fight off
Sabres blueliner Toni Lydman with his left hand, while scooting the puck up
ice. Boyle would squeeze a shot off, beating Miller to make it a one-goal game.
Rivet would play a role in the Sharks tying goal in
the 3rd period, by taking a high-sticking penalty at 4:34. Devin Setoguchi
would bag his 23rd goal of the season with a one-timer from the left dot on a
feed from Boyle.
Joe Pavelski would give the Sharks the lead 4 minutes
later on a crazy play. After intercepting a clearing attempt along the right
wing boards, Pavelski tried to get a shot off, but it was deflected right back
to him. After shrugging off a check, the Sharks winger snapped a second shot
that found its way past Miller.
The Sharks looked poised to steal the
two points before Rivet pulled the rabbit out of his hat. Sabres head coach
Lindy Ruff pulled Miller for the extra attacker and it paid off.
In
the shootout, neither team seemed interested in taking control of the game.
Kotalik, Stafford and Tim Connolly all missed their chances, but Boyle,
Pavelski and Setoguchi could do no better.
Pominville finally
converted with a wrist shot, but Marleau matched him with a backhand move. Roy
would bag the game winner with a backhand shot of his own. Miller snuffed a
Milan Michalek backhand attempt, allowing the 18,690 in attendance to forget
about the misery that beset the city for a moment.
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What did you
think of this game? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
SO |
T |
SJ |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
BUF |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
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1st period -
1, BUF, Mair 7 (Rivet, Kotalik), 6:40. 2, BUF, Spacek 4 (Connolly, Pominville),
8:53, (pp). 3, BUF, Roy 20 ( Stafford ), 14:21, (pp). 4, SJ, Marleau 28
(Vlasic, Thornton), 18:17, (pp). |
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2nd period - 5, BUF,
Kotalik 12 (Rivet, Ellis), 8:27, (pp). 6, SJ, Marleau 29 (Thornton, Semenov),
9:39. 7, SJ, Boyle 14 ( Thornton ), 19:08. |
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3rd period - 8, SJ,
Setoguchi 23 (Boyle, Thornton), 6:09, (pp). 9, SJ, Pavelski 15 (unassisted),
10:14. 10, BUF, Pominville 13 (Rivet, Roy ), 19:56. |
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Shootout - BUF: Kotalik
(miss), Stafford (miss), Connolly (miss), Pominville (goal), Roy (goal). SJ:
Boyle (miss), Pavelski (miss), Setoguchi (miss), Marleau (goal), Michalek
(miss). |
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1st period - Blake, SJ
(holding), 7:52; Pavelski, SJ (hooking), 12:28; Nimminen, BUF (hooking),
17:00. |
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2nd period - Blake, SJ
(tripping), 8:23; Ehrhoff, SJ (tripping), 10:24; Pavelski, SJ (holding),
16:02. |
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3rd period - Rivet, BUF
(high sticking), 4:34. |
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Overtime -Ehrhoff, SJ
(kneeing), 4:34; Vlasic, SJ (slashing), 5:00. |
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Shots |
Saves |
SJ - Nabokov |
35 |
30 |
BUF - Miller |
35 |
30 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
SJ |
13 |
17 |
4 |
1 |
35 |
BUF |
18 |
8 |
7 |
2 |
35 |
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Referees: Walsh,
Lee. Linesmen: Gibbs, Miller. |
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